1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water toy that can be connected to a garden hose and releases water when a player pushes one preselected control member from a number of control members extending from the toy.
2. Description of Related Art
Water toys, ranging from water guns to water slides, have become increasingly popular over the years. Kids enjoy the dual nature of becoming wet while operating the toys. It is particularly amusing when the toy releases water in a somewhat random fashion, so that the players do not know when, or who will get splashed with water.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,890,838 and 4,991,847 issued to Rudell et al, disclose water novelties sold by Lewis Galoob Toys under the trademark SPLASH OUT. The Rudell toy includes a two-piece ball that is molded with slots in an outer housing. A water balloon is loaded into the ball and a mechanical timer is set. The players throw the ball back and forth while the timer is winding down. When the timer runs out, a spring loaded pin is activated to puncture the balloon and release water onto the player holding the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,733 issued to Rehkemper et al, discloses another water release toy ball. The Rehkemper device includes a plastic housing that is attached to a water balloon. The housing also has means for puncturing the balloon at random or predetermined time intervals. The balloon and housing are tossed about between two or more players, until the balloon is ruptured and the water is released onto one of the players.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,680 issued to Rudell et al, discloses a toy that was sold by Mattel, Inc. under the trademark WET HEAD. WET HEAD comprises a hat-shaped housing that has a reservoir of water and a plurality of detachable sticks extending from the side of the housing. One of the sticks functions as a valve for the reservoir, such that water is released from the housing when the selected stick is pulled out of the device. The game is played by filling the reservoir, donning the hat and then pulling out one of the sticks. The hat is passed around to different players until someone pulls out the stick that releases the water. The water falls onto the player's head, thereby penalizing the player for pulling the wrong stick. Although WET HEAD is fun to play, the reservoir is limited in capacity and the toy requires that the players don, remove and transfer the toy after each stick is pulled from the hat. The toy is therefore slow and cumbersome to play.